Funds fillip for station south wing

The expansion of Dhanbad railway station, which has been dragging its feet since the proposal was first mooted seven years ago, may see the light of day by the end of 2013.

The railway board last week released a second instalment of Rs 1 crore for development of the south side of the station complex, raising hopes of the Rs 4.5-crore project — already delayed by a year — honouring its fresh deadline.

The Dhanbad division of East Central Railway (ECR) had prepared a proposal to revamp the south side on a par with the north side way back in 2005. The board approved the same in 2009 and work began in August last year with an initial corpus of Rs 1.3 crore.

The money was spent on groundwork like levelling the project site, laying foundation of the southern complex and a railway footbridge. However, after March 2012, there was no further release of funds, which had brought the project to an abrupt halt until now.

Senior divisional commercial manager Dayanand confirmed that the funds flow had resumed and, if everything went well, the south complex of the station would be ready by end of next year.

On how it would benefit passengers, he said: “People from Bank More, Purana Bazar, Jharia, Sindri, Bastacola and Dhansar will no longer have to cross the busy Gaya Bridge to reach the station. Instead, they can come directly to the south complex of the station using the approach road being developed on the closed Jharia-Dhanbad railway line.”

Detailing on the project, Dayanand said a 60m by 15m hall would greet passengers to the new complex, which will also boast a swanky waiting hall for first-class travellers. “Development of the south side will help ease the rush at the main complex,” he added.

An unreserved ticketing counter already exists at the southern side of the station, but a couple of more kiosks will be developed with the fresh funds that have been made available. A canteen, food counters and a portico will be added features in the new south complex.

A five-metre-wide overbridge — connecting the south and the north sides — is being developed for passenger convenience. “An enquiry counter in the south wing is on the anvil too,” Dayanand said.